Cold Brew experience?

[micah1_8]

I usually make my coffee one cup at a time with this little french-press style travel mug that I bought at the Just-a-Dollar. Since it's just me and the wife, and she doesn't touch the stuff, it works great... you just drop a tablespoon of coffee grounds into a cup of water fresh from the hotshot-- let it sit 3 minutes and then push the screen/filter to the bottom, mashing the grounds in at the bottom.

The other day, I set my coffee down and didn't get back to it until a few hours later. Without thinking, I picked it up and took a sip of tepid coffee. hmmm... not bad... I actually kind of liked it. :eek: Now maybe somewhere between cold and the burn-your-tongue-like-bay-rum temperature that you get fresh from the hotshot is about right. I jumped online to see if others out there liked cold (but not chilled) coffee-- and I stumbled upon the cold brewing proccess. Anybody here ever try the DIY methods of cold brewing concentrated coffee? What's been your experience with it?

[kongjie]

I cold brew on weekends in my Bodum french press.

Put the coffee and cold water in the french press the night before, 12 hours later it's done. Cold-brewed coffee has a different taste (supposedly less acidic than the hot brewing process, I think) and is quite enjoyable.

But I don't heat the brew up to drink it...I end up drinking it iced.

Here is a link to a .pdf with the details from bodum.

http://portal.bodum.com/upload/docs/awards/BODUM_icedcoffee_eng_1.pdf

[analog_kid]

Not yet, but I've heard good things about "toddy coffee".

[sol92258]

I cold brew on weekends in my Bodum french press.

Put the coffee and cold water in the french press the night before, 12 hours later it's done. Cold-brewed coffee has a different taste (supposedly less acidic than the hot brewing process, I think) and is quite enjoyable.

But I don't heat the brew up to drink it...I end up drinking it iced.

Here is a link to a .pdf with the details from bodum.

http://portal.bodum.com/upload/docs/awards/BODUM_icedcoffee_eng_1.pdf

Love both my Bodum's, I will be trying this sometime soon, possibly tonight, since I have an 8 hour drive tomorrow night!

[micah1_8]

Love both my Bodum's, I will be trying this sometime soon, possibly tonight, since I have an 8 hour drive tomorrow night!

call me and let me know how it works.

[Rorschuck]

I buy my Cold Brew concentrate from The New Orleans Coffee Company. It's called "Cool Brew" and is amazing. Not as good as the real stuff, but great nonetheless; lower in acid and caffeine as well, which is good for some.

This stuff makes the best iced coffee I've ever had; one shot of the CoolBree, three shots of milk, sugar syrup and ice. Mmmm...

No affiiliation at all, just a satisfied coffee lover.

Link (http://coolbrew.com/)

PS: I've tried making my own "toddy coffee", and it works, but the results are nowhere near as good as the Cool Brew.

[stobes21]

I have made coffee with a toddy before. Very good, though I don't drink enough coffee to make a big pot worth it very often. Just remember: don't drink the stuff straight. :eek:

[sol92258]

Here is a link to a .pdf with the details from bodum.

http://portal.bodum.com/upload/docs/awards/BODUM_icedcoffee_eng_1.pdf

I feel compelled to say that that link does not specify whether or not to put brewing coffee in refrigerator or leave it on the counter over night, but a quick google search showed that on counter at room temperature is the method...just wanted to clarify that in case anyone was like me and didn't know.
I'll let you know how it turns out in the morn'

[McTeague]

I have used the Filtron cold brewing system and think it makes great coffee. The concentrate that it produces makes great iced coffee, or if I add hot water to it I can make espresso or regular strength coffee. The taste is always fresh and the system seems to bring out great flavors with no bitterness.

Here's a link.

http://filtroncoffee.com/

[tm3]

i got one of the toddy brewers a couple of years ago to try.

the convenience is great -- just keep the cold brew in the refrigerator, and make individual cups by adding some water and microwaving.

to me, the coffee is kind of flat tasting, but certainly drinkable. my wife however hates it.

imo nothing beats freedom press coffee. the idea of cold brewing with the freedom press is interesting. i'm going to try it.

[sol92258]

not bad at all...
I only did a small batch last night, about 12 oz, and it only got to sit for 9 hours, but I'm fairly impressed, I'm not much of a cold coffee person, though I have been known to down a few Sonic Java Chillers :biggrin1:
I used the Bodum recommended method, one Bodum scoop per cup of water, let it sit on the counter overnight, mixed 1 to 1 with cold water, a bit strong by itself (actually only used 10 oz, ran outta room in the press) so a splash of water, some creamer and 1 splenda tablet and I must say I'm rather pleased with it.

[micah1_8]

I tried a ratio of 1 part coffee to 4 parts water. I put it all in a plastic container and let it sit for about 24 hours, then strained it through a metal screen. My first try, I mixed about a half cup concentrate with a half hot water and it was pretty good, but that sure is a lot of coffee grounds to produce so little coffee. So, on a whim, this morning I put about a half shot of coffee concentrate into a 20 oz. coke bottle and topped it off with cool tap water. It looks a little like tea, but it has a nice coffee-ish flavour. So now I've got coffee flavored water with just a little caffeine. It's actually not so bad. :biggrin:

[kongjie]

I just put the concentrate on the rocks and drink it iced. Advantage of living in California, I guess, iced coffee is appropriate much of the year lol.

[micah1_8]

Well, the coffee water experiment continues... I've been drinking coffee laced water all week, and I've got to say, it's not too bad. The coffee concentrate definitely stretches using this method and I've not noticed a problem with the jitters. All in all, I give it a thumbs up. Next time I might try a slightly finer screen for filtering though--- I still find a few stray grounds in my drink, but it's not enough to make things crunchy.

[Monkeyboy]

I cold brew in a Toddy occasionally. It produces the best concentrate for iced drinks I've had but I agree with some of you that it doesn't make the best hot coffee. Every type of bean I use produces the same sort of muted flavor when hot.

The ratio of coffee to water is more like 1 / 1 for that brewer - you have a pound of grounds and add enough water just so the top becomes moist.

[JayKay]

I feel that you'll never get the flavor and richness from a cup of coffee that is cold brewed. Possibly by letting it sit in a press for 12 hours. Also, in terms of hot brewing in a press you should be using 2 TBS per 6oz of coffee in a fresh press. Also, You should never "mash" the grinds on the bottom because that will cause them to become over-brewed and push out the bitter notes that come out when it is over-brewed. Also, you should pour out the coffee into another container because leaving the grounds in the bottom will also cause a more acidic and overbrewed cup.

[sol92258]

I've been intending to make another pot of cold brew coffee this week, but haven't had the time to do so yet...but I did have thought - about a year or so back, Coca Cola brought forth Coke Blak, which was Coke infused with coffee; for those who like it (I thought it was pretty good), you could cold brew you coffee, freeze it, then use those "ice cubes" for you Coke, and Voila!- your own homemade Coke Blak {or just mix the liquid form with already cold coke}

[JayKay]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.

[sol92258]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.

that's probably how it would turn out - like I said, it's just a thought
but really, the Coke Blak isn't too bad, I could barely taste the coffee when I tried it way back when, but it's there

[JayKay]

Hm. Well coke stopped making it im guessing. I guess a little coffee couldnt be bad. I figure it was a meager attempt to jump on the energy drink craze, and sell more coke.

[sol92258]

Hm. Well coke stopped making it im guessing. I guess a little coffee couldnt be bad. I figure it was a meager attempt to jump on the energy drink craze, and sell more coke.

I still see it at gas stations every once in a while
yeah, it was a different perspective attempt on energy drinks, but it was expensive and only 8 oz....very cool bottle though

[sporkboy]

Mmm, cold brew coffee. I've been doing this for about a year now. 1/4 cup ground coffee to a pint of water or 1/2 cup to a quart. I use mason jars, leave it in the fridge at least over night then filter it with a coffee filter holder/filter. What I don't use in a timely fashion I do use for the aforementioned coffee ice cubes so my iced coffee doesn't get all watered down.

This is great for iced coffee but I agree that the technique makes sub par hot coffee.

[sol92258]

mason jars is a good idea....I love to use them to drink my iced tea from, but this makes the 2nd great use idea for them I've gotten the past 2 weeks. First up, use them on your blender; usually, the blender blade/base will screw right onto a mason jar, allowing you to make your smoothie, ground coffee, whatever, right into your mason jar - very cool, works great.
now a clever way to make cold brew coffee - my early thoughts go to using the screw on part of the lid to hold a coffee filter in place while pouring from one container to the other, wonder if that would work?

[micah1_8]

mason jars is a good idea....I love to use them to drink my iced tea from, but this makes the 2nd great use idea for them I've gotten the past 2 weeks. First up, use them on your blender; usually, the blender blade/base will screw right onto a mason jar, allowing you to make your smoothie, ground coffee, whatever, right into your mason jar - very cool, works great.
now a clever way to make cold brew coffee - my early thoughts go to using the screw on part of the lid to hold a coffee filter in place while pouring from one container to the other, wonder if that would work?

I'd be a little leary of this, are mason jars designed to handle that kind of vibration? I can just see one of them shattering in your hand. :yikes: On the other hand, I guess they do hold up to the pressure involved with the canning process... so who knows, maybe it would work. You know, I've got a couple of those smoothie container attachments for my blender, now I'm going to be hacked off if I could have saved 20 bucks by buying mason jars instead.

I think they make a strainer specifically for canning... I wonder if one of those would be a fine enough mesh.

[sol92258]

I'd be a little leary of this, are mason jars designed to handle that kind of vibration? I can just see one of them shattering in your hand. :yikes: On the other hand, I guess they do hold up to the pressure involved with the canning process... so who knows, maybe it would work. You know, I've got a couple of those smoothie container attachments for my blender, now I'm going to be hacked off if I could have saved 20 bucks by buying mason jars instead.

I think they make a strainer specifically for canning... I wonder if one of those would be a fine enough mesh.

I would probably say not, but I bet you could take apart a metal filter for coffee makers and use that, if it has enough surface area for the mouth of the jar - I've used my press for so long now, I can't remember how much screening is on my filter
I've only seen fairly course mesh for canning, but there may be different grades

In fact, it does work and works well. I don't know about long term use, but the article I read it in says it's an age-old practice, and that originally home blenders were made so that it (using mason jars) could be done - how true that is, we'll probably never know, but I brought up the topic around some of my great-aunts while at my grandparents anniversary, and they mentioned they use to do it too. It's usually for grinding/chopping spices, nuts, etc., for immediate storage in the jar.

[micah1_8]

Will it blend? (http://www.willitblend.com/)

[sol92258]

quote=sporkboy;536442]Mmm, cold brew coffee. I've been doing this for about a year now. 1/4 cup ground coffee to a pint of water or 1/2 cup to a quart. I use mason jars, leave it in the fridge at least over night then filter it with a coffee filter holder/filter. What I don't use in a timely fashion I do use for the aforementioned coffee ice cubes so my iced coffee doesn't get all watered down.

This is great for iced coffee but I agree that the technique makes sub par hot coffee.[/quote]

I'm trying this ratio tonight - will report my results tomorrow

[micah1_8]

My latest batch was 6 ounces of coffee and enough water to bring it up to 14 oz. I let it sit for 24 hours and filtered it through a metal coffee filter. This morning, I added just a splash of coffee concentrate to a cup of milk, and boy was it grand! :w00t:

[biomesh]

I compared a cup of cold brew iced coffee(1/2 cup coffee with 1 qt water) today with iced coffee brewed from my french press.

The coffee used was the same for both brew methods.

- Cold Brew (filtered) had less body and a bit sweeter(wine notes) but overall pretty good

- French Press - more body(oils in coffee) and flavors were a bit more complex.

I'll end up using this whenever I'm in the mood for iced coffee more than just in the mornings.

[sol92258]

My latest batch was 6 ounces of coffee and enough water to bring it up to 14 oz. I let it sit for 24 hours and filtered it through a metal coffee filter. This morning, I added just a splash of coffee concentrate to a cup of milk, and boy was it grand! :w00t:

yes, but was it a Grande?

[sol92258]

Mmm, cold brew coffee. I've been doing this for about a year now. 1/4 cup ground coffee to a pint of water or 1/2 cup to a quart. I use mason jars, leave it in the fridge at least over night then filter it with a coffee filter holder/filter. What I don't use in a timely fashion I do use for the aforementioned coffee ice cubes so my iced coffee doesn't get all watered down.

This is great for iced coffee but I agree that the technique makes sub par hot coffee.



I'm trying this ratio tonight - will report my results tomorrow


OK, it's tomorrow now...no I didn't take the train to Morrow yesterday.....
I used slightly more than 1/4 cup coffee to 2 cups water (1 Bodum scoop per 4 oz water, Bodum scoop marked as 7 grams/0.25 oz per cup), turned out very nice. Used Community Coffee Breakfast Blend grounds, let it set overnight (only 10 hours, got home from church late) in my Bodum french press, then used 1/1 ratio coffee concentrate/water, packet of Splenda and generous splash for french vanilla creamer = Yummy! (would be inclined to say Yummo, but I didn't add EVOO - or Rachel Ray {Yummo!}:w00t:)

[micah1_8]

... generous splash for french vanilla creamer = Yummy! (would be inclined to say Yummo, but I didn't add EVOO - or Rachel Ray {Yummo!}:w00t:)[/COLOR][/COLOR]

I'm confused, are we still talking coffee or pre-shave prep?

[sol92258]

OK, it's tomorrow now...no I didn't take the train to Morrow yesterday.....
I used slightly more than 1/4 cup coffee to 2 cups water (1 Bodum scoop per 4 oz water, Bodum scoop marked as 7 grams/0.25 oz per cup), turned out very nice. Used Community Coffee Breakfast Blend grounds, let it set overnight (only 10 hours, got home from church late) in my Bodum french press, then used 1/1 ratio coffee concentrate/water, packet of Splenda and generous splash for french vanilla creamer = Yummy! (would be inclined to say Yummo, but I didn't add EVOO - or Rachel Ray {Yummo!}:w00t:)

I'm confused, are we still talking coffee or pre-shave prep?[/quote]

Mmmmmmmm.....so many ways this could go, but....
Reflecting on that previous post reveals to me that I was typing flow-of-thought, and as such may have not made any sense - EVOO is reference to Rachel Ray, who it seems has to say "EVOO" at least once every 3 minutes, and Yummo every 5 (not scientifically calculated, just guesstimate based on the only episode of her show I've seen - and who the heck knows what she was cooking :wink:), other than that, I see no need to clarify a topic concerning coffee, Rachel Ray, and EVOO.....

[micah1_8]

EVOO is reference to Rachel Ray, who it seems has to say "EVOO" at least once every 3 minutes, and Yummo every 5 (not scientifically calculated, just guesstimate based on the only episode of her show I've seen - and who the heck knows what she was cooking :wink:), other than that, I see no need to clarify a topic concerning coffee, Rachel Ray, and EVOO.....

ok, just for the record, it's one thing to watch Rachel Ray, it's another entirely to admit to it.

[sol92258]

ok, just for the record, it's one thing to watch Rachel Ray, it's another entirely to admit to it.

well, I'm tempted to agree with you, however, a man saying he watches Rachel Ray's show to learn about cooking = saying he reads a "gentleman's" magazine for the articles, me thinks :wink: :cool:
besides, I fell asleep watching Emeril, and woke up to Ray, decided to not change the channel :ihih:

[sol92258]

I used slightly more than 1/4 cup coffee to 2 cups water (1 Bodum scoop per 4 oz water, Bodum scoop marked as 7 grams/0.25 oz per cup), turned out very nice. Used Community Coffee Breakfast Blend grounds, let it set overnight (only 10 hours, got home from church late) in my Bodum french press, then used 1/1 ratio coffee concentrate/water, packet of Splenda and generous splash for french vanilla creamer


On day two with this recipe, tastes better than yesterday! I could get used to this, though it won't replace my black/green tea recipe or hot french press coffee, it will definitely "be in rotation", as we're so fond of saying here

[micah1_8]

It looks like it's good for about a week, and then it just turns to a gritty taste. I used it to flavor my water all week, and then, when Monday rolled around, I couldn't taste it. Of course, that might have something to do with the 26 gallons of mucus coming out of my nose too. Stupid allergies.:frown: What's frustrating is that if I had known that it wasn't going to last me any longer than that, I would have used a greater amount in each bottle of water, as it is, I barely put a dent in the stuff.

[sol92258]

I haven't made any cold-brewed press coffee in awhile, and not since acquiring a grinder...looks like it's time for another batch!

[ravkesef]

We use the coffee toddy throughout the year, not for our regular coffee, but for drinks like frappucinos, etc. since the coffee at the toddy produces lacks the sparkle of the real McCoy, it works fine in these highly flavored drinks. For those who want to drink regular coffee, but find their stomachs getting upset, toddy coffee is an excellent choice because of its low acidity.
Our household procedure: French press; Chemex if we need it to travel; and espresso, all of the above freshly ground.